Martin Bakole vs George Foreman

Claiming to be scared and actually being scared aren't necessarily the same thing.

Realistically, any sane man entering the ring with murderous punching heavies has some degree of fear of what might happen if he gets caught just right with something massive.

Beyond that, self-deprecating can be a way of showing respect informally - it shows you respect what your opponent is capable of.

 

Foreman put his punches together well and was a very good body puncher.

 

Got to go with Big George here

 

Ron Lyle versus Martin Bakole is a much better fight.

Foreman's incredible mental and genetic aptitude for combat cannot be understated. Two years after his first bout won the golden medal in Mexico City, dropping the beloved Polish boxer Lucjan Trela (Pocket Dreadnought was the National Champion from '66 to '71), stopping Ion Alexe from Romania on a cut (six times national champion, consecutive from '67 to '71), knocking out Italy's Giorgio Bambini, and finally making a mess of the veteran Jonas Čepulis of Lithuania, who himself won all his Olympic bouts by TKO. To add on that, the nineteen years old George fought against older and more experienced fighters (in the final round he faced a ten years difference, facing a fully grown man) and two of them were southpaws.

And Foreman is plain better fighter. Not necessarily all around as he was relatively late starter who retired early, but in the areas he was drilled at by Sadler, Saddler, and Moore, he excelled, and being Liston's sparring partner did not hurt either, especially in developing that jab. George was craft when it comes to manipulating distance, rhythm, and initiative. His grappling was superb, his jab one of the best ever, and his defense extremely frustrating on top of it being applied through the principles of ring generalship (taking away the jab, resetting unfavorable exchanges, denying combinations.)

Chuvalo, Peralta, Lyle, Norton, and Frazier are infinitely sterner opposition than what Martin has faced. Anderson and Yoka might very well lose to the likes of Larry Middleton or Bob Stallings on their best night. Too many holes. The slickster in Hunter beat him both outside and inside, whilst pre-Moore Foreman took a laboured decision and later stopped his own defensive wizard in Gregorio Peralta.

And yeah, Foreman hit like a truck.
If you list all the injuries he's caused at various stages of his career, his K.O highlight reel becomes really fleshed out. Wepner's orbital bone burst from inside out, sticking out. Inside of Moorer's mouth burst open, needing thirty something stitches. Recollections of his power are almost universally terrifying.

 

At certain stages of George's career, it's a very good fight tho.

 

Most of Foreman's opponents are small cruiserweights by today's standards and probably wouldn't be campaigning at heavyweight today. So a modern heavyweight wouldn't have the chance to fight them.

 

Without the need to possibly go fifteen rounds, and the discipline to look like greek gods, a lot of the men he fought would approach the weight much more palatable for the modern lard fanatics.

Andy Ruiz, Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte, Oleksandr Usyk, Micheal Hunter, Agit Kabayel are all more of an Ali slash Foreman heavyweights, not the so called superheavyweight format, but they were all to a lesser or greater degree succesful. Ruiz in particular is far shorter than advertised and if not for morbid obesity, could hang out with the bigger boys akin to Frazier, Tyson, or Tua. Conversly they would all weight a lot closer to what Foreman's opposition did were they forced to fight twelve much more often, and go fifteen for the belt.

The likes of O'Halloran, Middleton, or Wepner that were not in Foreman's league (or even modern cruisers like Quarry, Bonavena, or Ellis) all boasted 6'5 at least. Skills pays the bill, and while without gifted genetics small can be in fact too small, there were less sizeable fighters whose chin and power baffled their 6 feet 6 counterparts. Historically, you ough to judge on merit, because the top will naturally include the most exceptional fighters, regardless of their size. On the same note size can be a disadvantage, because you are far bigger target, with inferior inside capabilities, that can be countered in bunches once an opening presents itself. Also typically slower, less agile, and so on.

Granted, a lot of older fighters would be cruisers, since with the increase of general size, increases the chance of facing a good big men which would be taxing and less productive in a long run. Doesn't mean they would be incapable of moving up and making a statement once in a while.

 

Bakole is 6ft 4in max, he is shorter than Ngannou and look at his pic near Joshua and Fury!!! His height is super inflated indeed!!!

 

Do you still feel the same way now? Is Bakole still the Kodiak bear?

 

This guy knows his bears.